Finance Data Analyst

The City University of New York (CUNY) is seeking a Finance Data Analyst to support strategic, data-informed financial and operational decisions across the institution. In this onsite role at LaGuardia Community College (Queens, NY), you will collect, analyze, and translate financial and operational information into actionable insights for leadership, while coordinating dashboards, KPIs, forecasting, and data quality improvements.

Working closely with Finance and Business Office leadership and other campus partners, you will help turn recurring metrics and operational performance signals into clear reporting and reliable analysis. The position also includes hands-on guidance for staff using analysis and visualization tools, along with opportunities to automate manual processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate and maintain financial and operational dashboards with Finance and Business Office leadership, incorporating relevant KPIs, benchmarks, trends, and performance measures.
• Partner with Directors and managers to define meaningful performance measures and establish benchmarks to evaluate operations, service delivery, workload, and efficiency.
• Analyze financial and operational data to surface trends, patterns, variances, and items needing review, providing information that supports appropriate leadership action.
• Analyze tuition and fee collections, outstanding receivables, payment activity, and related student financial data to identify trends and support stronger collections strategies.
• Collaborate with Enrollment Management and other college offices to gather and analyze enrollment and student data that may influence tuition revenue, collections, and forecasting.
• Support forecasting for budget, revenue, expenditures, and collections using historical analysis, trend analysis, and financial modeling.
• Evaluate operational processes and turnaround times with area leadership, including metrics such as requisition-to-purchase-order processing, invoice-to-payment timelines, transaction volumes, workloads, and other performance indicators.
• Conduct comparative and trend analyses to assess performance over time against internal or external benchmarks when applicable.
• Provide ad hoc financial and operational analysis to evaluate issues, identify potential causes, and support management decisions.
• Identify opportunities to automate recurring reports, data collection, reconciliations, and other manual processes to improve efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness.
• Review and reconcile data from multiple systems and sources, identify inconsistencies or gaps, and collaborate to improve data quality, consistency, and reliability.
• Train, guide, and provide hands-on support to Finance and Business Office staff in using Excel, Access, and other reporting and visualization tools to improve operational efficiency and data literacy.

Required Education

• Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in data analysis, financial analysis, institutional research, business analytics, or a related field.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, data modeling, and development of analytical reports and tools.
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms for dashboards and data visualization.
• Working knowledge of SQL, Python, Power Query, Access, or other database and data analysis tools.
• Experience working with large datasets, including combining, cleaning, validating, and analyzing data from multiple sources.
• Ability to identify trends and develop KPIs, benchmarks, and operational metrics.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable outputs for management.
• Experience identifying opportunities to automate, standardize, or streamline recurring reports and manual processes.
• Ability to prepare and communicate reports, presentations, charts, and data visualizations to both management and non-technical audiences.
• Experience collaborating across functional areas by providing training, technical assistance, and hands-on guidance for Excel and other tools.
• Experience in higher education, government, or a complex organization; knowledge of CUNY systems, operations, and data sources is a plus.

Tools and Technologies

• Microsoft Excel, Access
• Power BI, Tableau
• SQL
• Python
• Power Query

Compensation and Benefits

• $74,764 - $87,784 per year
• Salary commensurate with education and experience
• Range of health plans
• Competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans
• Tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study
• Generous paid time off
• Extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on campuses
• Opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community

Role Details

• Job ID: 32752
• Location: LaGuardia Community College
• Type: Full-Time
• Work mode: Onsite (Queens, NY)
• Closing date: December 11th, 2026

CUNY Title Overview

• Administers program and unit budgets and related functions
• Processes and maintains data in budget systems
• Prepares budgets, projections, and financial reports
• Collects and reports fiscal information as required and assists in analyzing financial information
• Coordinates with various departments on budget and accounting matters
• Monitors systems and operational issues to improve overall workflows
• Performs related duties as assigned